SLIDER

Friday, 27 February 2015

Last week Andrew and I took a little adventure to Chelmsford. It's not really that far from me but neither of us had ever been before so when I got an invitation to come and try out the Jamie's Italian in the town center I thought it might be fun!

We followed the sat-nav and got there alot easier that expected. We spotted the restaurant, turned down the next road and found a giant car park which we were both pretty pleased about. On the walk to the restaurant, the ticket flew off in the wind and I watched (and laughed) as Andrew chased after it haha I've never seen him run so fast.

After all that excitement we were pleased to sit down and relax. Jamie's is based inside The Trattoria and has a very warehousey feel to it. I loved the high ceilings, ripped wallpaper walls and the fact that the whole restaurant was filled with smells wafting out of the open pizza oven in the middle of the room. I have only been to Jamie's once before (at Westfield) and this has a very different layout!

Our waitress was really lovely which is always a good thing, she was smiley and helpful throughout our meal. Also, she brought over a jug of tap water which for me is a winner. I hate having to ask over and over for another glass of water. We also ordered juices - Andrew got pineapple and I got a virgin strawberry mojito - just as tasty as a real one - yum.

The menu itself was quite small with only 6 pastas and 4 or 5 pizzas although there were still lots of good choices, neither of us had a hard time finding something we liked. It was nice to have a good choice of pastas - we never eat pasta when we go out so we both opted for one. They came in bowls which was also a change for us. They were both big portions - I couldn't finish mine! I was pleased to see they were very generous with the sauce and toppings. Nothing worse than that awkward moment when the staff give you a little teaspoon of parmesan when what you really want is the whole bowl poured on top. (photos taken before the parmesan)

The food
came out in good time and all tasted good too. We ordered three starters between us. Andrew went for the prawns which smelt amazing and I went for something I'd never heard of - Porcini mushroom arancini which I think was breaded balls of risotto, either way it tasted good although I really didn't like the sauce it came with. Andrew being Andrew insisted we needed a side order of garlic bread too. Be warned, it is reaallllyyy garlicy

Then after our mains, I couldn't leave without dessert! The prices though the meal were fine and were
similar to the prices of say a Pizza Express. We had 6 courses and 3
drinks between us which came to just under £50. Dessert was tasty but very pricey, most of them were okay actually, it was just the ice cream and sorbet options that I thought were alot, I was just a little shocked that 3 scoops of ice cream could cost almost £5. They included a
topping which helped but still seemed alot to me - although the salted caramel ice cream I decided on was delicious. Andrew just has a coffee which we thought they had forgotten about but it came out eventually.

We both enjoyed our meals and left super stuffed so that's a good thing, no one likes leaving a restaurant still feeling hungry.

Have You Been To A Jamies Italian?

*Jamies Italian kindly covered the meal in return for my review. All opinions are 100% honest.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Wamo is a new app that I have been really enjoying using lately. You create lists of all sorts of things from clothes, beauty
items, technology ect. Each item you put in a list, you can then tag saying
that love, hate, want or need them. They also run daily competitions with big brands
to win the items you love - all you usually have to do it add an item from
their store into one of your lists - simple as.

I added this Motel Rocks dress to my need
list last week so when the guys at WAMO got in touch with me and offered to
have me pick something from one of my lists, this was my first
call. This is one of Motels' best ever dresses in my opinion and I'd say alot
of people agree because its stayed in they range online and in Topshop for
ages. I bought the sunflower version in the summer and I loved wearing it so
much that I have wanted a more wintery version for months. The material is light and floaty and it has a cute tie up detail at the back.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Since I posted in so much excitement in the lead up the Valentines Day last week, I thought it was only fair that I shared with you what actually happened! I didn't find out until the day as Andrew managed to keep it a surprise. There's so much I want to tell you about but to keep this post as short as I can, I think it'll just be alll the photos and a little comment on what we did!

First, lets start off with my valentines day nails, aren't they cute!? I used Barry M's new 'Kiss Me Quick' and 'Viva Pink' from AVON.

Friday was the launch of 50 Shade Of Grey so of course we went to see that. We decided to go the the cinema at the 02 because our favorite restaurant - Gaucho - happened to be there. As always we really enjoyed the meal and some yummy cocktails too before walking into the busiest cinema I have ever seen haha.

The next morning, we woke up and made our way back into London for lunch. Since pancake day was later that week, I wanted pancakes so My Old Dutch it was! I had the yummiest pancake, covered in strawberries, chocolate sauce and ice cream and Andrew was boring and went for a savory one. Then we picked up some snacks for later and hopped into an Uber to our hotel for the evening!

For our second evening, we spend the first part at The Rumpus Room, which is a very exclusive rooftop bar at the top of our hotel - The Mondrian. The views over London and the Thames were amazing as the sun set. The bar was very fancy (and kinda expensive - 4 cocktails came to £61) although we both really enjoyed it and it was valentines day after all! I had a strawberry and prosecco cocktail while Andrew had his prosecco with elderflower and cucumber.

It was the perfect excuse to wear my new skirt which I picked up at the Very Valentines event last week. I love the bold stripes and the scuba material allowed it to just glide over my hips. I probably could have done with a size 6 but that wont stop me wearing it. I paired it with a plain black crop top and my over the knee boots to keep my legs warm.

Afterwards we went back down to our room, got into bed, switched the TV on and ordered room service. Andrew had also arranged a surprise delivery of champange and chocolate covered strawberries which we indulged in while watching Take Me Out on the big pull out TV.

The next morning there was a knock on the door and in came a huge table filled with food and drinks. We both had a fry up as well as a plate of salmon and the super cute heart shaped pancakes which we shared. There was also toast, tea and orange juice. It was the biggest breakfast I've ever eaten

After stuffing ourselves on breakfast, it was time for the last part of our weekend! We put on the hotel dressing gowns and went down to the spa for a relaxing massage and body scrub.

and then sadly it was time to go back to the room and get ready to leave. I had such a great Valentines day weekend. I hope you enjoyed reading all about it and hopefully it didnt babble on too much!What Did You Do For Valentines Day?

Monday, 23 February 2015

For me, its not worth spending loads on really expensive polishes that claim to last all week because most of the time, they never do. I usually pick my polishes on how much I like the colour over if I think it is going to last or not so when I spotted Primarks own polishes popping up in every store I had no hesitation in getting one to try out, I was drawn in by the amazing range of colours and after my first buy, I was back again for more. For £1 each it doesn't make a difference to my receipt if I throw a couple in with whatever else I'm buying.

They have a great range of colours - it seems most companies shy away from greens and blues which is a shame because they are my favorites and this is why I love this range, whether it's the same store or a different one, every time I go to Primark I see a new selection of colours and there is always a new one that I want.

The polish itself is a great consistency and really easy to work with, not thick but definitely not too thin which is something I hate! I
also think the brushes are great - quite large and cover most of
the nail in one swoop. Two coats covers perfectly which is great news because I get bored after that. Also they dry pretty quickly which is
also great because I also get bored waiting.

brush
which applies the product evenly and the formula itself which went on
in a block, uniform colour in 2 coats. I’m two days into the wear and
I’m chip free so far without using either a base or top coat. - See more
at:
http://www.athriftymrs.com/2014/04/p-s-love-primark-make.html#sthash.HI4lnny8.dpuf

The finish is streak and patch free, shiny (without a top coat) and seems to last as long as any other polish. I currently only have three and can guarantee I will be picking up another one each time I visit.

Here, I'm wearing the one on the far right, They don't have names so I'm just going to call it Mermaid Princess

brush
which applies the product evenly and the formula itself which went on
in a block, uniform colour in 2 coats. I’m two days into the wear and
I’m chip free so far without using either a base or top coat. - See more
at:
http://www.athriftymrs.com/2014/04/p-s-love-primark-make.html#sthash.HI4lnny8.dpuf

Thursday, 19 February 2015

When I was 12, my best friend got a pair of Timberlands, they were baby blue which was totally cool at the time, not so cool now haha she always had the latest trend. I was 12, ten years ago (whoa) and Timberlands are back (not the baby blue ones thankfully), isn't it weird how fashion comes and goes and then comes back again! I think they started to get popular again after we saw Fleur Easts' sister wear them on the X Factor, since then, I see them everywhere, especially on a train on the way into London.

I didn't get my pair of Timberlands until this time round and I'm looking forward to trying all the different ways to style them. They are something completely new for me, I'm not used to a not black shoe but I've established that they look good with black jeans so hopefully it won't be too hard! I am really looking forward to wearing them through this season as I think as well as a fashion piece, they are quite practical in the winter with the cold and the snow.

The best thing is that when they go out of fashion, I can put them at the back of my wardrobe and after a few more years they'll be back again.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

I love a good afternoon tea. There's just something so regal about it. I love pretending I'm posh for the afternoon, stuffing my face with sandwiches and drinking properly brewed tea. Our visit to Lancaster London was one of the best.

It made a lovely change for us to be dotted around the lounge on sofas and armchairs rather that at a table, it made it much more of a relaxing environment. The waiters added to that by pouring the tea for you and checking that we had all that we could want. Andrew and I ordered 3 extra rounds of sandwiches and a second pot of tea each so it was nice not to have to struggle to get someones attention every time we needed something.

The food itself was really high quality and very tasty. The sandwiches were all very generously filled and the salmon, we were told, was smoked in house so it was as fresh as possible. These was a mini Yorkshires filled with roasted beef which was a nice little addition and the scones are put in the oven on demand so they are still warm when we ate them. They were perfect size for me, I never manage to finish a full sized scone and everything is cuter when it's mini - right?

We both really enjoyed our afternoon at Lancaster London and would rate it as one of our favorite places in London for tea!

Afternoon Tea at Lancaster London starts at £30 pp and with a glass of
Laurent Perrier at £40 pp. In January and February they are offering 25%
off new bookings so don’t miss out. For more information visit lancasterlondon.com.

*Lancaster London kindly invited us for a complementary afternoon tea in return for my review. All opinions are 100% honest.

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

I find blue jeans so hard to style which is why I live in my black jeans. I hardly ever wear blue ones. Last year I got these jeans as a challenge to myself to actually wear them and it has taken me this long to finally find an outfit that I
like. As jeans go, they are actually so soft and comfy so that was definitely a good incentive to wear them more.

White Stuff UK got in touch with their new campaign and asked me to pick something from their site to style . Upload a photo of you wearing something from The White Stuff and #SnapAway for the chance to win a holiday to Dubrovnik!

All I know is that blue denim looks good with grey, after that I have no idea. I loved this grey jumper with the subtle white jaquard and as soon as it arrived I thought, maybe, just maybe this will go with those poor jeans that have been waiting to be worn. yey finally! How refreshing to wear something light in colour for a change! I don't know how
often I will be able to pull it off but it's a start! I love the way the light colours work paired with my pastel mani.

I had my mum take these before we went out for lunch with my dad last week. We were all in and decided to go to the old gastropub down the road. I had a fish pie which I loved so much, my
mum and I went back last night for another one.

Monday, 16 February 2015

Before instagramming your weekend brunch became a thing, I really wasn't interested in breakfast. I guess I just thought it was either cereal, toast and neither of those things are really very enticing. Nowadays I wake up at Andrews every weekend and get super jealous when I scroll
through instagram and see everyone's amazing looking breakfasts, poached eggs with avocados and smoked salmon, orange juice, croissants. It's become just as much of a thing to go out for breakfast as it is for dinner.

I was invited to come and have brunch at Foxcroct & Ginger in Soho which I definitely couldn't turn down. Since everyone I know works, I picked a day that I was in town for press days and went along on my own to fuel up for running around London all day.

The little cafe has a very chilled vibe. Lots of students and people working on laptops and others sitting alone with a hot drink, getting lost in a book. Luckily for me, it was somewhere that was very comfortable to be sitting and eating breakfast on my own.

I started off with a drink, there was a big selection of teas so I went for something unusual, a strawberry and hibiscus tea although it wasn't to my taste, it was a bit bitter for me so next time I'll be sticking with mint.

As I said, I have only recently discovered the joys of poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I have seen the normal smoked salmon or spinach options so when I spotted with a few different ones on this menu I was pretty excited. They had a choice of either mushrooms or pulled pork. It was just after 11 I went for the mushrooms for a more breakfasty feel. I must also have a new thing for mushrooms too because I spotted a mushroom, egg and truffle oil pizza which also got my mouth watering.

When breakfast arrived, the eggs were cooked perfectly, it was a very generous portion and the mushrooms were delicious! The bread was just a bit too crunchy for me but I guess that's what you get when you order a dish with sourdough toast.

Along with my main dish I couldn't resist a side of avomash. It was a little pricey at £2.50 for a tiny plate but it was definitely enough to accompany my breakfast and it was so good.

I enjoyed my breakfast and would happily go back if I was in the area!

WELCOME

GEORGINA | LONDON | TRAVEL | 24

I'm making it my mission to see as much of this world as I can and if that means sleeping on airport floors or eating plain rice because I can't afford anything else (yep, done them both) then so be it!

Bring. It. On.

Follow me on my adventures as I document my way around the world here on my blog!